Keeping Secrets
by scarletcriminal
Summary: Everyone seems so happy and upbeat in the Hollow. Nothing could be wrong! Well, actually, everything is wrong. And no one wants to talk about it. How long can forced smiles and fake laughs hide what everyone is keeping from everyone else?
1. Chapter 1

The amazing BlinkYourEyes asked me to do another Tinker Bell Fiction awhile ago. So I did.

(I take requests, and since I'm actually back online now, go give me some!)

NOTE: I wrote "Spring Fever" before this one. You might want to check that out first. Also, these stories are not to be taken too seriously…

Enjoy! Read and Review! (It's scientifically proven that reviews make me 100% happier!)

* * *

**"Keeping Secrets"**

It seemed the time passed too quickly in the Fairy's world. Already it was autumn again, over a year after so many things had happened. Queen Clarion and The Minister of Spring had officially admitted their feelings for each other, Tinker Bell and Terence had established themselves as a couple, and even Fairy Mary and Fairy Gary were jumping into the love-scene (though it was quite strange to many of the other fairies).

The fairies didn't particularly mind change; in fact, they accepted and embraced it. This makes a bit of sense, considering each of their days revolve around preparing for things to change. And yet, each day seemed to fall back into a daily routine. Every day the work would still being something they were used to doing and the people they would see wouldn't vary either. It was becoming rather dull as the fairies became increasingly anxious with the increasing heat of the season.

Tinker Bell, in particular, was feeling the effects of the monotonous days wearing her down. She wanted something exciting to happen; something new! Something great! She didn't exactly know what that meant, but she knew that she was itching for some surprises. Little did she know, the tiny tinker was about to face many, many surprises. And, as it turns out, some of them she would have rather liked to never have seen.

"But how do fairies age?" Tinker Bell asked. "I've been the same way for years now, and so has everyone else. Does it just happen very slowly?"

"Ah, my dear," the Minister of Fall said as he leaned against the desk and smiled thoughtfully. "You are correct. Most fairies take many, many years to grow older. As you know, not every baby's laugh in London makes it all the way to the Hollow. Some lose their way or are otherwise prevented from making it. That's what makes a new fairy so special. Here in Never-Land, there is no aging. So fairies only age when they travel away from the Hollow."

"That must make you incredibly old then," Silvermist pointed out. The class giggled quietly. The minister sighed.

"Yes," he grumbled. "But still quite young, I'll have you know." He smiled once more, winking at Rosetta and causing her cheeks to blush red.

"How old are you then? How old am I?" Tinker Bell pressed. The question had been bothering her for quite some time. Well, really it had only started a season ago when she had met the human Lizzie. The young girl had mentioned drawing something when she was three, and then that she was nine. When she had asked Tink her age, Tink brushed the question off. But now it was truly bugging her; was she really only four years old?

"Well, by Clumsy standards, you're all teenagers. Some older than others. You, Tinker Bell, are years younger than, say, Rosetta. The water fairy and dust fairy are in between both of you. The animal talent is only slightly older than you, Tinker Bell."

"I've got a question," Irridessa spoke up. "How come you know Tink and Rose's names but you don't know any of ours?"

The Minister of Summer walked in at that moment.

"Thank you for watching my class, Minister. I know you're terribly busy with your season starting, but I'm still swamped with leaf-work from Fairy Camp." She turned to the class. "How many of you came home with itching from Sting Moss?"

Half the hands in the class rose quickly, causing Summer to sigh.

"Poor darlings. So curious."

"Yes, well, have fun learning!" The Minister of Fall waved over his shoulder and left the curious class.

* * *

"Aren't you so excited for the Autumn Festival? It's going to be great!" Tinker Bell flew gleefully alongside her friends.

"You're just saying that because you have a real date." Irridessa pointed out.

"Well…maybe. But you all have dates too, right?"

"Yeah," Rosetta said, "with Irridessa."

"Oh…but going with friends is fun too! Who needs a sparrow man to keep them company?"

"You do." The others sang in unison.

"But it doesn't matter, Tink," Fawn said. "We could find dates easily, right girls?"

"Sure."

"Whatever."

Sure enough, as time went on, each of the girls found dates for the dance. All of them except Fawn, who had originally tried to encourage the girls. It seemed to the animal talent that the other girls were able to so nonchalantly get a guy to ask her, but she had trouble even getting a guy to mention it!

She found herself thinking about it one day, and decided to ask her best friend, as any girl might do.

"Tink, how do you get a guy to ask you out?"

"Just be yourself. You must have your eye on _some_ guy, right? Just go up to him and ask him."

In fact, Fawn had her heart set on one very specific sparrow man. They had spoken many times, laughed together, and even shared space beneath a tiny leaf when it was raining one afternoon. And when she next saw him, she decided to talk to him.

She approached him with only the slightest apprehension, smiling and trying her best to be as friendly as she could, which wasn't hard.

"So, are you going to the Autumn Festival?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear.

He only shrugged in response.

"Would you…like to go with me?"

Another shrug.

"Is that a no?"

Shrug.

"Well, what is it?"

The sparrow man turned to her and sighed.

"I don't know, Fawn. I mean, you're nice and all but…you're kind of loud, and clumsy, and chubby. You're not exactly the kind of girl I want to be seen with."

"W-what do you mean?" Fawn said, her spirit breaking slightly and suddenly. She had approached him with a wide grin on her face and steadfast determination. But now she slowly backed away, feeling foolish.

The boy shrugged again.

"You're tomboyish. I like girly girls. It's nothing against you or anything it's just…I don't know. You're not a…a Vidia, you know?"

"Oh," she said. An awkward silence passed and Fawn smiled again. "Well, thanks anyway...sorry for bothering you." She started away slowly, glancing back at the sparrow man as he continued without ever saying a word. She shook her head and smiled.

"So what? I can find someone else. It's his loss!" She continued to grin and flew off just as gleefully.

* * *

"_One teakettle for the Queen, painted in a fine gold," _Bobble sang.

"_And another just for me, seventeen years old!" _Clank joined in with a deep chuckle.

Tink laughed as her friends tried their hands at painting some of the things they were making. They felt they deserved a break after their hard work, even if they were nowhere near finished.

"How do you like it?" Bobble asked, turning his tea pot so his friends could see. "I tried to make a butterfly, and ended up just making a mess."

Tink smiled.

"It isn't that bad…but I think we should stick to drawing schematics for inventions."

"Agreed."

"I don't think mine's all that bad." Clank said, frowning slightly at his crude depiction of the three tinkers holding hammers and pots. Bobble smiled and hugged him.

"I like it, Clanky."

"Ah, Tinker Bell, there you are!" Bobble and Clank jumped apart as Fairy Mary came over. She raised an eyebrow as Bobble scurried away and Clank pushed the painted pots off the worktable, but quickly refocused on the girl.

"I'm right where I always am," Tinker Bell said, a confused look on her face.

"Oh. Oh, yes, right." Fairy Mary giggled and smiled at her.

"What's going on…?"

"Everything is simply wonderful my dear! Have you gotten those eighty new sun baskets done?"

"Sun baskets?" Tink looked for help from Bobble and Clank. They in turn looked at each other and then back at the tinker girl, shaking their heads quickly.

"Er, you see, about the sun baskets…"

"Haven't finished? No worries! Just make sure you keep on it, love. Or, don't! That's fine!" Fairy Mary began to slowly drift away, smiling and twirling. "Everything is hunkey-dorey!"

Tinker Bell quickly flew after her boss, touching Mary's arm gently.

"Are you alright? Have you been feeling sick?"

"No, of course not!" Mary bit her lip to contain a fit of happy giggles and then flew off.

"That…was probably the most peculiar thing I've ever seen," Bobble commented as Tink rejoined her friends at the workbench.

"Aye. She's gone a little loopy, eh?" Clank drawled, picking up his and Bobble's painted creations and proudly displaying them on the shelf. "Suppose she won't mind this sitting here then!"

Tink added hers to the lineup and all three tinkers admired their work.

"Are you sure yours is a bunny, Tinker Bell? It looks more like a pile of snow."

They laughed, smiles breaking across their faces.

"This is why we make the pots and pans, fellas," Tink said, picking up her hammer and knocking a small nail into an acorn with a grin.

* * *

In the very centre of the Hollow, the queen herself sat on her bed. She smiled at the Minister of Spring as he worked diligently on some work, checking things off a list and not looking up. She couldn't help but to admire the way he pursed his lips and squinted in concentration.

"My love…" She whispered, a smile on her lips "is there ever a time you just stop working and relax? Your season is months from now."

"Yes, yes, I know, Clarion. Let me just finish this one little…"

But before he could finish, the queen had plucked the work from his hands and hid it behind her back. He looked up at her.

"Very funny, now give me back-,"

"You'll have to come and get it," she responded quickly and playfully, backing towards the bed and holding it out of his reach. He leaned over her and tried to grab it but she simply tossed it aside and wrapped her arms around him.

"Now I have you and you cannot break free. Her majesty declares it."

He sighed, feigning annoyance.

"Alright. You have my attention. What do you want, my darling?"

She thought a moment and kissed him tenderly.

"Only you, Hartwell."

* * *

Everyone seemed as happy as they could be in the fairies' Hollow. However, as with any tale, there is always a conflict. And even though they all wore smiles on the outside, each of the fairies was hiding their very own dark secrets on the inside. Very, very dark secrets.

* * *

To be Continued...

(There's more to come! This is just me setting you all up...tell me what you think, honestly) 3


	2. Chapter 2

**Hoo boy, I cannot believe I forgot to put up the warning...Let me say this now:**

**Warning: From this point on, the story WILL include things you may not like. These things include a boy/boy relationship which does briefly depict kissing, references to sex, possible mild swears (I don't usually use swears in the writing), and general things that would not typically be present in a Disney film. If you have a problem with that, you can tell me in a message or better yet, not read it. In my opinion, I do NOT depict anything explicit. Just be aware, the rating is "T" for a reason. Not "K". Thank you.**

Sorry about that. Just need to cover my bases. I've had some pretty nasty messages sent to me about this. I'd love if you guys could constructively tell me if this is too much. I don't mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable...except the characters in the story of course. ;)

But please, enjoy reading. Thank you for all the support, my readers! :)

* * *

Tinker Bell kissed his perfectly soft lips and twirled a strand of his messy blonde hair around her finger.

"Hmm…I hate being busy. I never get to spend time with you."

Terrence smiled and slipped a small, folded note into her free hand.

"Yeah. It stinks. But at least we can enjoy the moments like these when we have time."

She smiled, clutching the note in her hand tighter and giving him one last kiss.

"I have to go," she said, a sigh accompanying her words. He hugged her tightly then let her go.

Tink waved to him as she went on her way, tucking the note into her shoulder bag among knick-knacks, lightweight tools, and other things she decided to bring along with her the sunny afternoon when she was supposed to work with none other than Vidia.

Vidia had become her friend; someone she could trust, though not _too _much. Tink, of course, had trouble trusting her deepest secrets with Vidia because, no matter how much of a character change she had went through, Vidia still had a big mouth and loved to gossip. Vidia spent hours gossiping with Irridessa sometimes. Regardless, Tink liked Vidia and had no problems being paired up with her for a simple project.

Their work went quickly, and Tinker Bell really wasn't that focused on what they were doing. It seemed so simple and silly to her, really, and she didn't need Vidia's help at all. She was beginning to wonder why Fairy Mary had paired them up for the project when Vidia said,

"So, how are things with you and Terence going?"

Tink stopped cleaning up her things and looked at Vidia nervously.

"Oh…you know. Good. Great, really." She forced a smile and looked away, continuing to shove things back into her bag.

"Oh yeah? Hm." Vidia pretended to be interested in her nails. "So…you two, you're like…really close now, huh? Has he ever tried to…?"

Tink didn't understand what Vidia was implying, nor did she understand what she was getting at by talking about Terence. Normally, Vidia didn't pay any mind to the dust fairy.

"Tried to what?"

"You know…have you guys like, made out?"

Tinker Bell stared at Vidia, clearly confused. Vidia sighed.

"Never mind. I've been with _so many _guys that I can't even remember a time when I was as clueless as you."

Tink shrugged it off and brushed her hands together, satisfied with what they (or she, as she saw it) had done. She slung her bag over her shoulder, peering in it yet again to ensure the note was still there. As she did, she didn't notice Vidia biting her lip or looking at her nervously. Vidia looked away and regained her composure as Tink looked at her once more.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading back to the Nook," she said. Vidia nodded, getting up and saying, "See ya'," before flying with her fast-talents back to her own corner of the Hollow. Tink had to check her bag once more before she took off, smiling as the little note peeked its head out between a spring and hammer.

Vidia didn't fly home though. She made a circle around the Hollow, something she used to proudly do to practice and show off her fast-flying talents and something she was doing now to get to the Tinker's Nook without following Tinker Bell or being seen by her. She walked nervously through the Nook, getting the occasional glance and stare, but otherwise, nothing. She knew Tinker Bell worked in one of the areas in the back…but where?

She explored for awhile, but thought she should do so secretly. After all, she had no idea if she was even allowed back here. So she kept herself on the down-low and quietly searched through the empty levels of the workshop.

When she was just about to give up, she could hear familiar voices coming from close by. She recognized one of the voices immediately; a sort of high-pitched, heavily Scottish-accented fairy boy. He let out a giggle and said,

"Ooh Clanky,"

And when the second voice replied, she realized she knew it as well. A deeper, almost like a soft rumbling, sound which chuckled and responded,

"I'm doing well, eh Bobble?"

Vidia smiled. The boys could probably tell her where Tink was. She approached the door which she could hear them talking behind before. But oddly, most of the noise had stopped. She opened the door, knowing they considered themselves friends of hers now. But she wasn't prepared for her cheerful smile to be met by the sight she saw.

As she swung open the door, there was Bobble with his scrawny legs wrapped tightly around Clank's large waist and his long, thin arms draped around the larger boy's neck. Clank had one of his fairly massive hands resting on Bobble's backside and both of their heads were close, their lips mashed together.

She froze and so did Clank, having opened his eyes and his mouth when she walked in. Bobble smiled, taking his open mouth as a sign of something else before he noticed his friend's eyes wide open with shock.

"Clanky? What's-," Bobble turned his head and his eyes opened so wide that the water popped from his glasses. He let out a shrill yelp and broke apart as quickly as he could from Clank.

"Th-this isn't w-what it looks like!" He shouted, desperately trying to think up some possible explanation as to why she had seen them acting so intimately. He sputtered and gave up, instead opting to hide his shame-filled face behind his palms and let tears form in the corners of his eyes until they rolled down his burning red cheeks.

A wicked grin curled itself across Vidia's face.

"Well, well, well…I must say, I am pretty surprised. But now, it kind of makes sense." The smirk was menacing and chilled Clank's every bone, even sending shivers through his wings. "Sorry for the inconvenient intrusion, boys. Let me just let you get back to what you were doing," and with that, she shut the door and haughtily strutted off. Feeling in control again felt _so _good. She had forgotten what is was like to have such big, wet, juicy gossip in her hands. She puffed out her chest, feeling more confident than she had in weeks.

A slightly evil cackle rattled in the back of her mind. She may be the good girl, but this gossip was just too huge to keep to herself. And who was going to stop her from telling it?

"Oh yes," she thought, "now, to figure out how and when to make the big reveal,".

* * *

Bobble shook, his tears staining his cheeks.

"I've never been so embarrassed in my life! And yet, I think I'm relieved- just the slightest bit, you see- that it wasn't fairy Mary who walked through that door." He sobbed, and Clank pulled him into a hug. But the bigger fairy scoffed.

"What's there to be embarrassed about?" He asked. "I mean, you're my boyfriend, ain't you? You love me? Well, I love you. And we deserve to show that to each other."

Bobble pulled his face away from Clank's chest and looked up at him, sniffling.

"W-wow, Clanky. I…I never thought you'd say something like that. It seems so unlike you."

"Well, Bobble, I'm tired of always getting pushed off of you or 'aving to wait so long to kiss you because you're afraid of everyone knowin' about us. It frustrates me."

"It frustrates me too, but we have to keep it a secret. Everyone would be disgusted with us. Fairy Mary would…"

Clank frowned, folding his arms across his chest and looking away with a pout.

"What reason do they 'ave to be disgusted, eh? Nothing disgustin' about us. We just like each other."

"I know, Clanky. But some of the others…they don't get that. They think it's not how it's supposed to be. And we might get into trouble."

Clank sighed. If there was one thing he knew about his Bobble it was that he hated getting into trouble. But sometimes he just wished he would lighten up and let loose. The game they played where they hid their hugs and kisses from everyone else was fun and exciting at first, but not it was just boring. He wanted more of Bobble, and he was never, ever satisfied. But if Bobble wanted to keep playing the "straight game", he would play along. He would play forever if he had to.

"Okay. I trust you, Bobble…" Clank smiled and planted another kiss on his lips. Bobble brushed him off.

"Later, alright? We need to make sure Vidia keeps our secret to herself." He started out the door and Clank sighed once again, looking at the floor. After a quick moment, Bobble was in front of him again, pressing his lips against his.

"I love you, Clanky," he said sincerely. Clank smiled.

"I love you too." And he flew beside Bobble happily, not realizing the troubles they faced ahead.

* * *

The white blanket revealed her perfect, nude back to him. He traced a pattern along her spine with one of his slender fingers and circled around the place where her magnificent wings connected with her skin. She shivered, the smile on her face not faltering. She opened her bright eyes slowly and looked up at him.

"Mmm…Hartwell…"

He kissed her tenderly, letting her adjust her body's position against his. He loved the way she fit against him perfectly and his hands instinctively held her tightly.

She smiled, an act so simple and yet so very powerful to him. It melted him each time, no matter how many times he did it. Queen Clarion ran her fingers through his whitened hair and brushed her nose against his with a giggle.

"We have a council meeting today," he said, tickling her sides slightly with his fingers. She giggled again, a sound he absolutely adored hearing.

"Yes, I know. But we still have a little time to enjoy this…" she nestled her head onto his chest and he sighed happily. However, the time to get dressed and ready for the day seemed to come much too quickly, and before he knew it, he was standing next to his Queen and the other ministers of the seasons surrounded them. They talked for awhile, but Hartwell was so disinterested and for once, he couldn't have cared any less. His eyes continuously wandered over Clarion, soaking in her beauty. And memories of last night came flooding into his mind, only aiding in distracting him from the matters at hand. Luckily, none of them really concerned him, and his absent mindedness was easily overlooked by the others in the room.

When the queen called the meeting to a close, she smiled at Hartwell. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Autumn, or Clement as he was known to the selective group of adults, slipping out of Winter's arms and bidding her farewell, much to her dismay. She frowned and folded her arms, coldly staring at the floor. However, before Hartwell could begin to wonder what was going with them, he focused his attention back on his Queen.

"That went well," she said to him with a smile. "Why don't we take a stroll?"

He agreed of course, and left the meeting room, with Summer following behind and going in her own direction. Winterlynn was left alone to think to herself.

She sighed and began to think over how the last couple of weeks had been going. They used to spend so much time together, but ever since he started teaching every so often, he came to her room less and less, and had stopped staying over all together. She tried to think of what she had done wrong. Had she said something to him? Had she offended him somehow? He didn't seem upset with her though.

"Perhaps he's simply too busy," she thought. "He's got so much work on his hands, and I'll be busy once he's done."

She nodded to herself and felt a bit more confident. She knew she had to be right. After all, they loved each other. He had said so himself, and she'd been so overjoyed by his confession. One night, as they lied intertwined beneath on a branch of the large hollow tree underneath the unreachable yet bright stars. And she had turned to him and told him she loved him too, and sealed her love with a long kiss.

Recalling the moment brought even more of her confidence back. She stood up taller and exited the meeting room, heading for the winter wonderland that she called her home.

"Once our seasons are over, we'll be back to the old way of things," she reassured herself. All seemed right for her at the moment, though a small portion of her heart knew something was wrong. She ignored it; after all, giving things the cold shoulder was what she did best.

* * *

_(So? How am I doing? The chapters are hard for me to write- I hope you are able to follow coherently. Stayed tuned for the next chapter, where we'll focus on Fawn, Terence, and Rosetta. Everyone eventually kind of intertwines...but that's all I'm going to say for now. Thanks again!) ~Louise Scarlet_


	3. Chapter 3

**I realize it has been a long time. But you faithful fans are in for a treat, because this story is going to be really good when I get it going. This chapter includes some set-up and a little surprise you probably weren't expecting. Enjoy! ~Scarlet**

* * *

Fawn stared at herself in the mirror, turning to the side and taking in a deep breath so she could suck in her gut as much as possible. She exhaled after a few brief seconds, a lump of depression sitting in her empty belly.

For some reason, there was a little nagging voice inside her.

"_You're no Vidia, Fawn!"_

"But what does that mean?" She said aloud. She studied herself carefully, kicking off her shoes and pulling off her tights.

"_Well, where should we start?" _The voice said. It had an evil sound to it, and Fawn didn't much want to listen. But it continued against her will.

"_For one,"_ it started, _"your legs are rather chubby."_

She turned them this way and that, frowning at her thighs.

"_And two,"_ it continued, _"your hair is full of knots and you hardly ever wash it right."_

Fawn undid her long braid and shook out her head, letting her long brown locks fall wherever they pleased. It was frizzy and all over the place and she couldn't really remember the last time she'd washed it well with soap. She bit her lip as the conniving little voice in her head went on.

"_Last but not least, your clothes are not like the pretty girl's clothes. They are dirty and rough."_

Her heart sank a great deal and she didn't feel like looking in the mirror at herself anymore. She glanced up quickly and looked into her eyes, only to hear the voice add quickly,

"_And you smell like a barn!"_

Fawn took a quick whiff of her underarm and grimaced. She did smell like animals. But she was an animal talent! Of course she didn't smell like newly bloomed daisies or brand new dew drops on freshly cut grass blades.

She took a deep breath, turning away from the mirror and grabbing a towel.

"Well I'll become a 'Vidia'. In fact, I'll become better than any lousy Vidia! I'll be Fawn—but not just any Fawn. A brand new, beautiful, thin girl Fawn!"

She flew off, her face fixed in complete determination.

* * *

Rosetta was, to simply put it, completely in love. Nothing else could describe her feelings. It wasn't just a silly crush. She was a mature, young woman, and she was in love.

She was older than the other girls, both in years and in maturity. Sure, she wasn't that much older, but she was a few years ahead of the girls, and she was probably prettier than them too. She knew it, too, so sometimes she could show off a bit. But Rosetta saw nothing wrong with being a little high on her horse; she was given her amazing looks, her brains, and feminine charm for a reason. Why not flaunt it a bit?

At this particular moment, Rosetta's cheeks were as red as the roses she was so used to working with. She giggled girlishly.

"Ooh my! You're lips are too sweet, sugar."

She giggled again, a high-pitched kind of squeal that drove her date wild in a good way.

"Well my dear," Clement replied, playing with a few of her curls, "you are completely irresistible…"

The Minister of Autumn stroked her cheek with his long, slender fingers. Rosetta was positively head-over-heels for him, and felt like melted honey in his hands. He gave her a long, deep kiss on her plump red lips and another small giggled escaped her as he pulled away.

"But I have to go now, my lovely Rosetta." Her face fell a bit as he said it. "I know, I know. I don't want to leave this either…"

He slid his hands down, resting them on her hips. They started kissing up a storm again, riling each other up.

"Do you think anyone is suspicious?" Rosetta asked, breaking away from Clement's eager mouth.

"No. No one knows, don't worry about it."

They could hear someone approaching the small cranny where they'd hidden themselves away. It was their regular place to meet; a tiny notch in the base of the biggest tree. Rosetta sighed.

"I guess we have to go now, flower."

Clement nodded in response.

"We'll meet again soon, my dear," he kissed her hand and quickly disappeared, leaving Rosetta by herself. She sank down and sat on the moss, smiling dreamily up at the branches above her head. Her little secret was all hers. That's what the Minister had been telling her. It was their little secret, and no one else had to know.

* * *

Terrence was fond of writing love notes. It seemed rather silly, he realized. If any of his guy friends found out, they'd tease him to no end. But he couldn't help it; the smiles he brought to Tinkerbell's face just by writing things like, "You're my second star to the right" or "My wings beat faster whenever I think of you" was most definitely worth it. He loved her smile.

Terence was also quite convinced that he would do absolutely anything for his little tinker. He would fly around the entire world for her, if he had to. She was everything to him, and he wondered if he could ever love any fairy girl more than he loved Tink.

And that's why he was thinking about proposing to her.

Of course, he was young. He knew that. And of course, she was young. He knew that. But if he didn't act soon, someone else could snatch her up! Or she could get distracted and fly off to who-knows-where. He often had these strange dreams where Tink would just fly away and never come back to the Hollow. Terence knew that Tinkerbell was a free spirit. She was so full of this something that made her never give up on what she wanted. He could tell that if some fantastic journey was calling to her, she would go, no matter what. So he felt that if he didn't tell her how he felt soon, she might just disappear one day, and leave him behind.

The only real problem was that Tinkerbell hated being tied down, and Terence was more nervous than anything that she would reject him. Even if he waited and gave it time, and even if he was one hundred percent sure that she loved him as much as he loved her, she could still break his heart and not want to get married. After all, once you're attached to someone like that, you are attached forever. Fairy marriages were extremely rare; and marriages of fairies with different talents were even rarer.

Terence sighed, turning over in his bed where he was resting in the afternoon. The thoughts were running through his mind, as always, and he was sure that Tinkerbell was reading his latest love note to her around that time. She would probably read it, then re-read it, then re-re-read it. He smiled. Thinking about her always made her smile.

What could he do? He wondered. He had never talked to anyone about his feelings. He figured anyone he tried to tell would just laugh in his face. But he was considering now telling the Queen. After all, she would be the one to marry them, wouldn't she?

It just made him feel sillier, though. Maybe he was making things too complicated. He loved Tinkerbell, and he could show her that without proposing and making himself look like an idiot, couldn't he?

Terence sighed again, thinking out loud.

"It's better to just forget about it," he said. He picked up the tiny ring and shoved it into his bedside table's drawer, and preparing himself to forget about its existence entirely.

* * *

**Like I said, I'll have more updates soon. Hope you liked this- Tell me what you think in the reviews section: I love hearing ideas and what you think is going to happen next! Thank you! ~Scarlet**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Here's another chapter I just got done. Hope it helps speed things along. I am quite close to having a mob come after me for not updating for so long! Hope you like this... ~Scarlet**

* * *

Queen Clarion placed a hand on her stomach and sighed happily, staring out at her kingdom from her balcony. Someone began knocking at her door, and she called to them to come in.

The Minister of Fall entered, still trying to lose the redness in his cheeks from his time with Rosetta.

"Hello, your majesty," he greeted her, bowing low to the floor. She smiled at him, coming back inside and closing the window behind her.

"Hello, Clement. It's nice to see you. I'm guessing you're here to discuss the Autumn Festival?"

"That is correct, my queen. We have almost everything planned out, and I was hoping you'd say a few words to the fairies. Some words of congratulations to everyone and encouragement. I'm afraid some of them are becoming sort of lazy with their work. Some of them want to try 'new things'."

"New things?" The queen replied. "What sort of new things?"

"Well, as usual, Tinkerbell probably has something to do with it. She's been introducing these crazy ideas to everyone. Like how the fairies and the Clumsies can become 'friends'. Perhaps we should stop allowing Tinkerbell to leave the Hollow at all."

"Really? Well, I admit I don't want every fairy to go out and try to make human friends, but restricting Tinkerbell from leaving? Don't you think that's a little much?"

"Not at all, my queen. She's broken quite a number of rules, rules which you yourself made to protect all of fairy-kind. It's in everyone's best interest that Tinkerbell learn her place."

Queen Clarion seemed to be tossing it around in her head. She had a lot going on in there, and she was wondering if this new problem was really worth getting her wings bunched up over.

"I will think about it, Clement," she replied at last. He sighed and bowed to her again, leaving shortly after. He and the Minister of Spring exchanged glares as they passed by one another. Hartwell was just about to enter the Queen's room.

"There's something about him I don't like," he told the Queen. He was referring to the Minister of Fall, of course, and she knew that. But she was too busy thinking about other things to really respond to his statement.

"He's bad news," Hartwell went on. "I think he's starting some sort of trouble."

"Hartwell," Queen Clarion interrupted him. "I am really very busy with some things. I have a lot on my mind right now."

He sighed.

"Yes, I'm sorry Clarion. Let me help you."

She smiled. She wished she could have told him then, but it just didn't feel like the right time. So she kept her mouth shut, and they worked on other things.

*PAGE BREAK*

Vidia was deep in thought. How could she use the secret she'd discovered about Bobble and Clank to her advantage? After all, she could have them doing anything she wanted now. She has the key to unlock their deepest secret so everyone could see; why not spend some time waving that key in their faces and making them do her bidding?

She wanted to break Tinkerbell and Terence apart. And now that she had the Boob and the fat boy to help her, nothing could go wrong. They could help her crush Tinkerbell's current relationship, and they didn't even have to know they were doing it.

Vidia began to plan. The wheels in her brain really started turning. She'd use Bobble and Clank somehow to make it seem to Tinkerbell and Terence that they hated each other. It would be simple enough; Tink was a natural hot-head and could get upset over little things, and Terence could become unsure of himself sometimes, causing him to fight back with her when she raised her voice. She'd seen them fight before. It was probably the most entertaining thing she'd ever watched.

All she had to do was make it seem like Terence said something behind Tink's back. Then Tink would freak out without even asking her darling boyfriend if he'd really said it, and-

Vidia's thoughts were interrupted when she saw Tinkerbell casually flying by on her way somewhere. She was carrying a couple of things that Vidia wasn't interested in. She was focused on Tinkerbell herself. She scowled.

"_She thinks I'm her friend. Ha. I hate her. She's so…"_ Vidia's own mind trailed off, and she sat there feeling dumb, just watching Tinkerbell slowly pass by in the air. Tinkerbell just went along leisurely, not even knowing she was being watched. It made Vidia sick to her stomach, but she couldn't begin to explain why.

*PAGE BREAK*

Tinkerbell dropped her scrolls onto the table of the cafeteria, each of them a design for some new ideas she was tinkering with. She took her seat and smiled at the other girls.

"Hey guys! What's up?"

Rosetta didn't reply. She was too busy admiring her rosy cheeks in her mirror. Fawn didn't reply either. She was too busy twirling the salad on her plate around and taking small sips of her water. Silvermist was trying to get her book to close flat, but failed to realize that the thick bookmark inside it wouldn't allow it to do so. Looking at her friends, Irridessa shook her head and turned to face Tinkerbell.

"Hey Tink. Oh, the usual. Except today, there's a little buzz going around."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You know Taye, right? The guy I've kind of been seeing lately? Yeah, you know. Well apparently, he's been going around with this Tulipia chick. Some Tulipia Weedseed or something and-,"

"Tulipa Windseed," Tinkerbell corrected.

"Well whatever. So I go up to Tulip-whatever and she's all, 'I've known Taye way longer than ya'll have, and you better back off'. And I was like, 'Oh snap. Girl, you're the one who better back off, alright? Or you're going to be talking to me and my girls'. So you don't think I should be mad at Taye, right? Cause, like, he is such a cutie! And he can't help it if, like, girls want to be near him, you know what I'm saying?"

Tinkerbell wasn't really all that interested in Irridessa story. She never understood why girls got upset at other girls who were trying to 'steal' their boyfriends. Why not just get upset with the guy? But she wouldn't tell Irridessa that.

"Um, yeah. If you like Taye, you should still be with him…"

"Thank you! That's what I've been saying!"

Silvermist let out a grumpy sigh and gave up on trying closing the book, instead deciding to just jam it into her knapsack. After she'd accomplished that, she smiled at Tinkerbell.

"Oh hi Tink! I didn't see you there. My vision's been kind of blurry lately. I think I need to stop opening my eyes underwater so much."

Tinkerbell giggled.

"Hi Sil. What's wrong with Fawn?"

Fawn looked up quickly.

"Nothing. I'm fine. Sorry I didn't say anything; I was just kind of distracted." She put on a false smile. Rosetta put down her mirror at last and tossed her hair over her shoulders.

"You know, I was thinking of going shopping later. Does anyone want to come?"

"ME!" Fawn practically leapt out of her seat and had answered before Rosetta had fully completed her question. Everyone stared at Fawn, a confused look on each of their faces.

"What?" Fawn questioned. "I just feel like going shopping?"

Their faces stayed in a mix of shock and confusion.

"You?" Irridessa said, her tone heavy with disbelief. "_You_ want to _shopping_?"

Fawn nodded.

"Well, yeah. I was thinking that I could use some new clothes. It's a good idea."

Rosetta smiled and clapped happily.

"Oh this will be so much fun! We'll have a marvelous time, rosebud! I'll help you pick something out and, you know what, we'll even go get our hair done! It'll be a girl's time out! Who else wants to come?"

"I can't," Tink replied. "I have forty more sun-baskets to make."

"Ooh, I've been needing those!" Irridessa said. "And I can't come either Rosie; I've got a date with my Taye-boo."

"Yeah, I can't come either. I have some sort of make-up test later. I guess I didn't do so hot the first time. But I keep forgetting the differences between brooks, streams, and creeks!"

"Looks like it's just you and me then, Rosetta." Fawn grinned and stood up, tossing the rest of her salad in the wastebasket.

Suddenly, fairy Mary came hurrying to Tinkerbell's table, placing a note in front of her and looking sort of worried.

"Tinkerbell," she said, "This is from Queen Clarion. She'd like to see you right away."

The tinker glanced at all her friends, then back at Mary.

"What did I...,"

"I don't know. But it's most likely important, so hurry."

And so she did.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**As always, let me know what you're thinking in the reviews. I always want to improve! :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just updating quickly this morning. (I need sleep so badly). I realize I seem unloyal to you all, but life is... Okay, I won't get into that. Here's an update just so you know I still love you all!**

* * *

"Bobble! Clank!" Vidia called at the boys, who were being pulled along on their cart by Cheese the Mouse. Bobble swallowed as she quickly flew beside them, scaring Cheese so that Clank had to pull the reins back and stop the cart on the path. Vidia grinned wickedly, waving a small folded note in front of them.

"I want you to give this to Tinkerbell later, okay? Tell her it's from Terence."

Clank plucked the note out of her hands with a nod. Bobble glanced at it and then back at Vidia.

"Is it really from Terence, or are we just saying it is?"

Clank gave him a strange look.

"What do you mean, Bobble? Why would she tell us to tell Tinkerbell it's from Terence if it wasn't written by him?"

Bobble looked at Vidia, her eyes cold and piercing. He had more to say, but he decided not to say it.

"I suppose you're right Clanky…" Bobble took the reins and signaled Cheese to continue moving. Vidia flew up into the air, watching them going.

"That was almost too easy," she said to herself with a smirk.

* * *

She glanced at the clock on the wall. Two hours past eight. Oh, he was so dead.

Winterlynn closed her book, keeping a single finger tucked between the pages she was reading so she could save her place. The door was creaking open quietly.

"Oh! My dear. You're up."

Clement offered this with a nervous smile, shutting the door behind himself. He removed his ornate fall-themed crown and placed it on the table.

"I, uh, didn't expect you to wait. It's a…pleasant surprise."

"_Pleasant my frozen ass," _thought Winterlynn.

She wasn't awake at this hour to mince words. She was wasting valuable beauty sleep on him, and not because they'd been out together for dinner or fooling around and losing track of time. She was missing out on sleep because her supposedly trustful boyfriend and trusted Minister of the Autumn season was sneaking in two hours later than usual.

"Where were you?"

"Oh, I was doing work late tonight in the library. I was so deep into it; I completely forgot to check the hour."

In actuality, Clement _had_ been in the library, but instead of shuffling through dusty leaf-journals and scrolls, he had been with Rosetta. His face still had traces of his complete elation from their secret meeting in between the stacks of books. Not only had he gotten a solid hour with her lips all to himself, she had let him go as far as to grind their clothed lower bodies together, giving him immense satisfaction.

Winterlynn was suspicious, of course. She let up her icy glare only a little.

"Look, whatever you are up to, Clement, I want it to stop. You've been disappearing and sneaking in after we usually go to bed, and I'm giving you a chance to rethink whatever it is you're doing behind my back. Is it really worth it?"

Clement swallowed. He met her eyes, replying simply,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

* * *

"It's been brought to my attention that you've been having…ideas, Tinker Bell."

Queen Clarion felt uneasy looking at the little Tinker.

"Ideas…?" Tink questioned.

"Yes. I'm not saying you are in trouble. In fact, I really don't think it's much of a concern. But getting involved with humans is a risky business."

"Your majesty, I hardly think that being friends with Lizzie is a bad thing. We managed to save numerous fairies from disbelief!"

"Tinker Bell, please. We've already discussed this whole 'disbelief kills fairies' business. I cannot have you scaring anyone with those stories."

"But what if they are true?"

"I am the oldest fairy in this Hollow and I have told you-," the queen paused, closing her eyes and groaning. Tinker Bell noticed this behavior as strange.

"Your majesty…are you okay?"

"F-fine…Give me just a moment…" Clarion quickly flew out of the room, and Tinker Bell could hear the faint noises of sickness coming from the queen. Curious and eager to help as always, Tink followed after her quickly.

Clarion coughed and choked for air, her stomach lurching again and Tink's face scrunching up in disgust.

"Should I call for someone…?"

"N-no! No." Queen Clarion quickly shook her head, accepting the towel Tink had found and was offering to her. She wiped her mouth and sighed.

"I am fine, Tinker Bell. Thank you. I think we're done here." She straightened herself out, taking in a deep breath.

"You can go. If I hear any more about your stories or… You understand, don't you?"

Tink nodded slowly, not really listening.

"Are you sure you are okay? You look pale, your majesty."

"Yes! I'm alright! Okay? Please. Go," the queen pointed at the door and Tink, slightly put off by her majesty's odd harshness, stumbled away and took off.

As she flew away, Tink couldn't help by wonder if she had just gotten out of something or into something else. She hoped it was the latter.

* * *

"So I was like, 'Girl please, you want to mess with me? I'll be bringing light to where the sun don't shine, alright?' What up? Aha." Irridessa grinned as Silvermist laughed.

"Get it, Tink? Because she's a light talent!" Silvermist nudged Tinker Bell.

"Yeah. Haha, good one, Dess." The tinker was too deep in thought about the queen to really listen to her friend's story. However, a silence started to fall over the lunchroom, causing even her to look up along with all the others. Everyone was shocked by what they saw.

In walked a tall, thin figure with a high-cut pink flower skirt and a revealing white top wrapped around just her chest. Long brown locks, perfectly crafted into flawless waves, bounced around her body as she sauntered past groups of open-mouthed sparrowmen and confused fairy girls.

The trendy girl smiled, her lips lined in a thick gloss. Her words slipped out of her mouth as smooth as syrup.

"Hey guys," Fawn said, leaning against the table with one hand. "What's up?"

* * *

**(Stay tuned for more soon. And yes, my other stories will be updated soon as well! ~Louise)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Long time, no update. So here's another quick fill. I have so many different story lines in this one fiction, it's nearly impossible to keep everything straight. I hope it's not too difficult to read... There are still plenty more chapters on the way. We're just getting to the good stuff! Enjoy~**

* * *

"Couldn't you just eat her up?" Rosetta grinned proudly, motioning to her work of art that was being gawked at by everyone in the room.

Fawn took her seat at the table and placed a designer pouch where her lunch tray usually went.

"It's the new me," the animal talent proclaimed.

"The new you looks fine, girl!" Iridessa said. Rosetta swelled with pride.

"I am a genius!"

A couple of sparrowmen were ogling the 'new Fawn' and hanging out closer to the girl's table than they normally did. She smiled at them and winked, causing a few of them to fly quickly away and the rest to melt right on the spot.

"Aren't you going to get something to eat, Fawn?" Tink asked. Silvermist nodded.

"Yeah! Stay awhile. We haven't hung out in so long."

"I have some stuff to do right now, actually. We'll hang out at the dance okay, Sil?"

"You mean you aren't going with a guy?" Rosetta's heart fell a little. "I thought that was the point of this make over!"

"Well now I'm too good for anyone," Fawn replied with a smirk. "Right? So I'll just dance with whoever I please."

"Right on, girl," Iridessa said with a nod. Fawn got up and exchanged kisses beside each of Rosetta's cheeks.

"See you girls later!"

Heads turned in the room once more as she left, most fairies left dumbstruck by what their eyes had seen.

Rosetta looked at the clock on the wall.

"Oh! Holy honeyflower! Look at the time."

Silvermist sighed.

"You have something to do too Rosie?"

"I have to meet someone in five minutes. I'll come over tonight, okay? Ta ta!"

"Oh!" Tink picked up her knapsack as Rosetta flew out of the cafeteria. She had just remembered the note Bobble had given her earlier from Terence. She knew Terence was really busy with studying for his honors exams in Dustology III and wouldn't have much time to be around her, so it was nice to get a note from him.

But reading it made her rethink that.

"That JERK!" She screamed, the girls left at the table ducking their heads to avoid the inevitable stares.

"What is it now?" Iridessa hissed, keeping her head down.

"He told me he was busy studying- apparently, though, he has been goofing off with some guy friends!"

"Let me see that." The light talent took the note from her and read over it for a moment. "Tink, sometimes guys just need time to hang out with their friends. It's no big deal."

"But…he lied to me. He said he had way too much studying when I last saw him and now he's talking about all the fun he's been having with whoever those people are."

"Hmm…I'd let him go on this one, girl. Don't get so heated over something stupid like this. It's not worth it."

Tinkerbell sighed.

"I guess you're right. I'm overreacting. He deserves some fun with his guy friends. Besides, I know he really likes me!"

"Exactly!" Silvermist added. "In the meantime, have some fun with your girls!"

* * *

Clank moved closer, a low moan starting in his throat. Bobble backed away, his heart beating quickly.

"What's wrong?" Clank demanded. He was exasperated by the way Bobble was acting. The tinier tinker had become a nervous wreck. Every time Clank went to make a move on him, Bobble would become a skittish and stuttering mess.

"I just… Clank, I can't do this. Someone is going to see us! And Vidia- she _knows_, Clank! She could tell everyone if she wanted to!"

"I don't care!" Clank exclaimed, surprising the smaller of the two. "Bobble, I love you. Nothing is going to change that. Why don't you just accept who you are?"

Bobble was taken aback by his boyfriend's abrasiveness.

"But… People think that this is wrong. Doesn't that bother you? Aren't you afraid of people looking at you and saying things?"

"No." He answered in a firm yet simple word. Bobble swallowed. After a moment, he smiled gently. Bobble wrapped his arms around Clank, who smiled and tried once more to capture the skinny tinkerer in a passionate kissing session. Much to his aggravation, the goggled boy moved away again.

"But I still can't do this now. I'm too nervous about Miss Vidia walking in and handing us some ridiculous task or discovering someway to speed-draw our predicament and spread it around the entire Pixie Hollow."

Clank's brow furrowed and he frowned, a look which rarely crossed his happy-go -lucky face. His eyes seemed to be pleading however, and he said,

"Bobble, it's been a long time. Too long."

And really, Bobble couldn't argue with that statement.

He returned to Clank's arms, resting his head on his chest and sighing.

"I'm sorry. I do love you. And I have been ignoring what you need because of my own insecurity."

Clank stared at him blankly. Bobble chuckled lightly.

"Come here, you." He pulled him down, lying back against the bed and enveloping his lips in a deep kiss.

*PAGE BREAK*

"Oh! Oh…Mmm…" Rosetta blushed as the Minister of Fall's lips sucked at her neck.

"Oh my Rose, you are so perfect," he moaned against her milky skin, damp from his kissing.

"W-we can't do this. It's dangerous."

"I told you, with our clothes still on, nothing can happen, my dear. Just relax."

"N-no…" she squeaked as he continued his licking and loving. She quieted for a moment, succumbing to his advances and enjoying the sensations he was bringing to her with each touch. He pressed his body against hers fully and she momentarily regained focus, or at least enough focus to speak again.

"I mean, someone is going to see. We already met today during lunch. Meeting again at night is risky."

"But in the short time I saw you in the afternoon I did not have enough time to fully drink in your beauty, my dear."

Rosetta was normally a very level-headed and defiant individual. When she disliked something, she stuck to her guns until something very significant happened to change her views. But it seemed that being with Clement had changed that; it took only a little reassurance from him to make her feel safe, wanted, and loved. And she very much liked all the feelings that came along with that love; especially the tingly and very warm ones she developed in these nighttime meetings.

However, she cleared her mind enough to think at this moment and pressed the issue further.

"We can't keep doing this so often and in public. I mean, we need a place to be alone where we really are alone, honeydew."

Clement's heart began to race. His goal for some time had been to get Rosetta in his room and completely alone. He had expected that he'd need to use some persuasion or fancy words or something- and now she was _asking_ him to take her there! He couldn't believe it could be so easy.

He tried his best to sound calm even though he was overflowing with a sense of victory.

"Yes of course. You are right. We'll have to spend a couple of days apart," with this he touched her cheek gently. "And then you and I may spend some time in my little corner of the Hollow tree. Free of interruption and completely secure."

He smiled. Rosetta was his.

* * *

Tinkerbell applied another coat of sparkling gold paint to her big toe and looked up.

"It was totally weird. She was throwing up and everything, and then she…I think she was actually angry."

"Angry?" Iridessa questioned in astonishment. "Like, angry angry or just mildly pissed off?"

"Hmm…I don't know. More like, frustrated? It's hard to describe exactly what it was." Tink shrugged. "I just know that I'd never seen Queen Clarion like that before."

"Who else was throwing up?" Silvermist asked aloud to no one in particular. "I could have sworn someone else was throwing up recently… I can't remember who though."

The other girls ignored Silvermist's thought and Vidia opened the door.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Vidia!" They cheerfully replied. The fast flier sat down beside Tinkerbell and smiled.

"I just saw your boyfriend."

"You did?" Tinkerbell asked, looking at her. Vidia nodded.

"Yeah. He was headed out to the brook with Speck and Shiner. That color looks great on you," she noted.

Tinkerbell was silent for a moment.

"The…brook?" She suddenly began to turn red. Vidia had to hide her excitement.

"HE LIED AGAIN! Dess, he sent me a note today that said he couldn't do anything because of work and now he goes and does something completely different! And this time he didn't even TELL me about it! AUGH!"

Iridessa rolled her eyes.

"Alright, this time it's a little worse. But cut him some slack. He's been working really hard lately. And so have you. Finish your nails."

Tinkerbell sat again, her face still red and her arms folded over her chest.

Vidia seized the opportunity and put her arm around the tinker.

"Don't be too upset, Tink. Guys just don't think like girls do. They're stupider, and they don't understand."

Tink sighed.

"Yeah…but what am I going to do? I mean, I like him a lot. I'm not going to give up that easily."

Vidia had to suppress herself from saying something she'd regret. Of course she wouldn't give up that easily. She and the boys were just going to have to get dirtier.

* * *

The Queen couldn't remember the last time she'd been so nervous. Nervousness just wasn't something that ever went well with her. She'd always been confident, sure, and right.

But this was a huge moment.

"Anything new as of late?" The Minister of Spring inquired, sitting across from her at the dining table in her penthouse-like quarters. This was her chance.

"Actually yes. A very big something new, in fact."

"Really?" The minister looked up at her, curiosity on his face.

"Yes."

"Well what is it?"

Clarion took hold of the Minister's hand. His face showed a certainty that he never used to have. She thought that perhaps, at that moment, he actually had more confidence than she did.

"Hartwell…I'm expecting."

For a moment, he said nothing. And then his wings fluttered suddenly and his face lit up.

"You're with child?" He asked dubiously.

She could only smile weakly and nod.

"_My _child?"

Another nod.

"Yes, of course!" Tears sprung to her eyes and he hugged her quickly.

"Oh my goodness. I…I don't know what to say! I mean, I'm happy! I'm elated!" He paused for a moment, looking at her glowing face and the tears crawling down her cheeks.

"But…what about you? Are you happy?"

She choked out a quiet 'yes', but said nothing more.

The moment seemed to become still for a moment. He held her and gently rubbed her back, her head resting on his shoulder as she cried. He closed his eyes and hummed softly, soothing her the best he could.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, it was quite heavy on the boy/boy today. Couldn't help it, it's a huge part of the story. Just to keep things straight and to help with future chapters, here are some things to think about...**

Will Rosetta be taken advantage of by the Minister of Fall?

Will Terence "propose" to Tinkerbell?

Will Vidia continue to control the boys?

Will Fairy Mary find out that Bobble is a fairy (pun totally intended)?

Will the Minister of Summer ever have a purpose?

Okay, back to updating. I love you all!


	7. Chapter 7

**Long time no update! Fsejwojdljk. I suck. I know. BUT! I hope this will make up for it because things ACTUALLY HAPPEN! :D *Throws a little party* So, please enjoy! I love you guys and I can't believe how amazing you all are! Alright. Here's the dramatic chapter of Keeping Secrets! Enjoy!**

* * *

The night of the dance finally arrived. The girls were gathered in Irridessa's brightly decorated living room, as giddy as ever, dressing up and putting on makeup, gossiping away about who would be dancing with who. Fawn was on the couch with Rosetta, Silvermist was busily curling the ends of her long hair and singing something that got the others to sing too. All the while, Tinkerbell really wasn't in the mood to do anything. She sat on the edge of the wooden window sill, resting her head on the edge and thinking. She was too busy sighing and staring out the window, so when her hair had been done up and her own green dress was sparkling brightly, her heart was clearly not in it.

"I haven't talked to him in days," she said aloud, not really expecting anyone to listen. Sure enough, Irridessa had just gotten herself ready save for a few minor touches and was wandering over to Tink to see what was up. She leaned against the wall and listened as Tink continued.

"I've just been getting weird notes. He's cancelled every plan we try to set up." Irridessa nodded slowly and placed a hand on Tink's shoulder.

"Maybe he's saving something big for the dance?" she offered hopefully. But they both knew that was unlikely.

"Normally I'd just go see him myself and confront him. But... I'd just lose it in front of him. I don't know what to do."

Irridessa had never seen her tinker friend acting like this. She was usually confident and ready to act before she thought. The usual Tink would march right up to Terence and get in his face, demanding a solid answer. But for once, Tink was genuinely too upset to be angry.

"Hm… well, you never know!" The smile that accompanied that was a bit too forced. She tried again.

"Come on, you look great in that dress," and that sounded sincere. "We're all going to go to the dance and we are all going to have a fantastic time."

Tinkerbell smiled weakly, sitting up a little taller.

"Yeah, Dess. You're right."

* * *

At the same time, the pair of tinker boys, dressed up as fancily as either grease geek could manage, quietly pressed up against the side of Vidia's house just after the sun had set. Clank fussed with the red bowtie strung around his neck.

"I keep telling you, this is too tight, Bobble! How do you manage it?"

"Shush!" The smaller snapped. "Miss Vidia will hear you if you keep blabbering away!"

"But Bobble."

He tried to keep himself from looking at Clank, but he just couldn't help it. Two puppy dog eyes stared back at him once he turned his head.

"Alright." He let out a sigh and quickly helped his boyfriend with the awkward mess of a bowtie around his neck and smiled. "Alright now be quiet! I think I hear Miss Vidia finishing up her bath."

The sound of splashing water became less frequent, and the gentle humming of the young woman inside died down. Eventually, Bobble saw the light of a candle flicker on and glow from within the room they were closest to. Bobble wasn't far away from the window to Vidia's bedroom, and he felt ready.

"Do you remember the plan, Clank?"

"Hm?" Clank looked up and smiled at the ginger-haired boy floating in front of him, his face showing he was in a wistful and faraway state of mind.

"Focus, Clanky! We're going to confront Miss Vidia once and for all and you can't be thinking about other things!"

"But-,"

"No buts!" Bobble snapped, focusing his attention back to the window and inching a bit closer to it.

"Yours looks pretty nice tonight," Clank commented. Bobble replied by smacking him in the face, just enough to shut him up.

Clank hung back a bit as Bobble quickly ducked beneath the window, but suddenly he stopped when he heard what perhaps was the most peculiar thing he ever heard. It was a throaty and pleased moan, still slightly girlish but definitely not a sound he heard from a fairy everyday.

_"Mmm...Tink…"_

"What was-," Clank was about to ask, but Bobble shushed him quickly. He had to see for himself that Miss Vidia really was moaning like that. He peered into the window sneakily.

Vidia had just walked out of her bathroom and sat on her bed in a towel with a dreamy look on her face. She leaned back against the wall and smiled.

Suddenly, some gears clicked into place in Bobble's mind. He knew all at once what was going on.

"Clank!" he whispered. "New plan! Grab that rope and charge!"

"What?"

Bobble quickly explained the situation, and something clicked in the other boy's brain as well. Clank did as he was told, and in a flash Vidia found her door being kicked in by the boys and her body being tied to a chair.

"What the…?" Vidia shrieked aloud, but Bobble was quick to shut the door and shade the window while Clank held her tight.

Vidia struggled against the bonds holding her to the chair, becoming all the more frustrated as she couldn't get out.

"Ugh! Let me go!" she shouted.

"No-sir-ee, Miss Vidia," Bobble replied with a confident smile. "We're tired of being your puppets!"

"We're not going to listen to you anymore!" Clank echoed.

Pausing for a moment as she tried to escape, Vidia rolled her eyes.

"And we know just _why_ you were trying to get Miss Bell and Terence angry at one another!"

Suddenly, Vidia's blood ran cold. She froze as her eyes opened wide and her heart began to beat faster. She looked up at Bobble, fear and anxiousness mixing in her stomach.

"You do?"

Clank nodded with a smirk.

"We found out about your secret! Well, it was mostly Bobble, but then he told me and now we both know!"

"Aye, and we know you were trying to break them up because _you like Miss Bell_!"

The words repeated themselves in Vidia's ears. '_You like Miss Bell.' _Her face turned red and hot and she struggled again to wriggle her way out.

"I-I do not!" she stammered.

"Yes you do!" Clank shouted. "You must!"

"Otherwise, why would you have even been in Tinker's Nook the day you found Clank and I? Hmm?"

"I was...I..."

"Exactly! You were going to spy on Tinkerbell and figure out a plan. But instead, you found us and thought we'd be able to carry out your ideas even better!"

"Augh! Fine! It's true, alright! I like Tinkerbell!" Vidia confessed. She hung her head then, starting to cry softly in defeat.

"I-I d-don't even k-know why, okay? It's just…she's so stupid and yet…" she sobbed and groaned. "I'm such a freak."

Bobble and Clank began to feel sorry for her. Bobble swallowed, remembering when he had first developed his own crush on the boy standing next to him. He had never been so nervous and alone.

"I've never seen Vidia cry before," he said softly to Clank. The larger boy looked at the girl sadly.

"There there, don't cry," he said, looking as though he was on the verge of tears himself.

Bobble reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder while Clank undid the ropes constraining her.

"You know, Miss Vidia, you probably aren't as alone as you feel. Even though Tinkerbell has found love, that doesn't mean you can't. I always thought being with Clank was an impossible dream. But…you never know what direction your heart will take you."

Vidia sniffled, not yet able to look up.

"And…maybe if you let Tink know about how you feel, she'll-,"

"She'll what?" Vidia groaned unpleasantly, still crying. "She'll feel the same way? Ha! She'll never want to talk to me again. She'll think I'm some sort of gross freak. At least when I'm being mean to her I'm not the one who's weird. I'm normal."

"Well…you never know what will happen until you try." Bobble took Clank's hand and began to back away. "Come on, Clanky, let's let Miss Vidia be."

Clank glanced once more at the sad fairy still sobbing as he shut the door and quietly flew away.

* * *

It wasn't long before everyone else was at the dance, and, for the most part, everyone was having a pretty good time. Music blasted everywhere, a fast-pace and loud tone that wasn't typical of the flowery tunes the orchestra was usually performing. The tree's dance floor was decorated with blue and green lights courtesy of the fireflies and another ingenious use of lost-things and their colored glass thanks to Tinkerbell.

As everyone danced around and with her, Rosetta stole glances at the Minister of the autumn season. It had been a week since they had gotten together, and both of them were anticipating the moment their lips would be able to lock again. Their plans were not for another night, however, so she put the thoughts out of her head and danced with her best friends.

Irridessa happily began grinding a bit closely to the garden talent jokingly, and some sparrowmen nearby hollered, carrying on in approval. Rosetta rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Dess, you're such an attention getter."

"What? It's funny! Hey, Fawn, get your little ass over here, girl!"

Rose gasped.

"Dess, cool it! Do you want to get in trouble?"

Fawn stumbled over, clad in the tightest and least amount of black lilies possible. Her stomach showed, and what once could have been considered a perfectly tanned and taut belly was now nothing more than a pale and thinned connection between her thin hips and accentuated chest (helped, of course, by an undergarment stuffed with cotton).

"Hey, great party, huh?" She smiled, although it looked pained and unlike Fawn in every possible way.

"Hell yeah! Come on, let's dance!"

"Yeah… Yeah…"

Rosetta and Irridessa gasped as Fawn couldn't finish her sentence. She collapsed, falling to a crumpled mess on the ground before either of her friends could grab her and support her tiny frame.

"Fawn! Fawn! Wake up!"

Her eyes rolled back and the crowd around her gasped and formed a confused and concerned mob around them. Irridessa fell to her knees, fanning her friend in horror.

"Fawn! Come on! Wake up!"

Her voice became filled with worry. The others around them called to her desperately, begging her to awake. It was at that moment Rose and Irridessa noticed how defeated and lifeless Fawn looked.

"Please!" Irridessa begged, tears forming in her eyes.

The dance floor had fallen completely silent.

The Minister of Summer touched Irridessa's shoulder, pulling her away as the light talent protested. She struggled and screamed, breaking the silence in a deeply unsettling way.

"No! No!"

She struggled to reach out, but the woman of summer kept her back. The Minister of Winter picked up Fawn with help from the Minister of Fall. Rosetta, shocked, looked up at him with her eyes opened wide. He looked away.

Queen Clarion burst into the scene, literally sending sparks of pixie dust flying as she took her regal form. Every bit of her face was etched with concern as the Ministers whisked Fawn away. Hartwell looked at her, expecting her to say something. And she did.

"The worst possible scenario has occurred," she said quietly. "All of our fears have come true."

* * *

_(So, what did you think? I have been so excited to share this with you! And don't worry, there is plenty of more drama to come! Thank you!)_


	8. Chapter 8

Finally, an update! And probably the longest chapter I've done for this silly story. Yay!

Obsessive-Gal: Thank you, Cathie! Finally, someone who agrees with me! Haha

Maria: My story is more (very loosely) based off the Disney Fairies direct-to-DVD movies. In them, Vidia is seen as arrogant and snide, yes, but by the third movie's end, she and Tink are actually friends. I appreciate your input though :)

Smiles4ever99: It's explained that fairies a) can get pregnant, but are discouraged from doing so and b) royal fairies are born like humans to uphold a "royal bloodline" *shrug*

Okay, please enjoy :D

* * *

"It's done. There's no stopping it now. Practically every young fairy has witnessed it before their eyes. Oh, what are we going to do!?" Hartwell paced back and forth, stopping suddenly when he saw Clarion sinking into a lounge chair and holding her stomach.

"Oh dear." He sighed. "This stress isn't good for the baby at all. My Queen, please don't worry. I-I-I'm sure there's something we can do. Some lie we can think of to cover the situation and-"

"Hartwell." The Queen raised a hand and spoke firmly so that the worrisome minister beside her would quit his useless stammering. "We won't be lying to anyone. We have to tell the truth."

"It's been kept a secret for so long! We can't just go and tell everyone! The entire population will be scared. We'll have fairies refusing to go to the Mainland. Disastrous! And how do you think it happened? Do you know what this means? There's a human here. Somewhere. Somewhere close!"

The hand returned, this time smacking Hartwell in the face. After the slap, he stared at Clarion, looking absolutely shocked.

"Oh…Oh my, I have no idea where that came from. I just…" Clarion burst into tears suddenly. This left poor Hartwell even more surprised and confused.

"My love, it's alright. We all get angry sometimes. I'm surprised you didn't do that sooner, actually. Don't cry."

"Mm." Clarion wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and took in a breath. "It's the child. I'm sorry. We'll just have to ignore my moods and think of a definite plan."

Little did the two of them know, their favorite mischievous tinker fairy was floating just outside the window (a habit that'd become a bit alarmingly common for her. If Fairy Mary knew about her frequent visits to the Queen's chamber window to eavesdrop, she'd be in deeper trouble than she'd ever been before.) Tink was almost always in trouble, however, and knowing everything before everyone else was more important than being allowed to stay up late and fiddle with her latest project after supper.

"We dealt with this when Tinker Bell made contact with humans before," Clarion stated calmly. "Thank goodness no one was harmed, and she was able to make a peaceful connection with them. I thought we would just have to be more careful but now…"

"She's lucky she didn't drop dead," Hartwell countered. "She put everyone in danger, and somehow, by some bloody miracle, she wasn't affected."

"And now we have one in the hospital wing, possibly dead, with no clue as to who's causing it and how…"

Tink was stiff, her body frozen against the edge of the window.

_She's lucky she didn't drop dead._

…_Possibly dead_

Fairies almost never spoke about death. Danger, sure. But not death. Death was some explicit thing that definitely wasn't a part of everyday conversation. And, thinking about it, Tink had put herself in very deadly situations before. But _other _people? Well, Terence that one time. And her friends had risked their lives to save her, but she didn't _ask _for them to help. And then she sort of put a damper on the existence of both spring and fall, but still, no one spoke of death.

And now Fawn was possibly dead? Because of her? How could this be possible?

* * *

Meanwhile, Irridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist, and Vidia crowded together in a waiting room, hoping with all hope that someone would tell them something good about Fawn soon. Nurse talent fairies came and went, passing by hurriedly but never saying a word about Fawn to any of the worried girls now holding each other and repeating things like, 'It'll be okay' and 'I'm sure she'll be fine'.

Vidia, having gotten word about the event at the dance while curled in bed, had since abandoned what she deemed 'useless' emotions and rushed here to find out more. She had finally revealed her darkest secret to someone (two someones!) and was now in the absolute last place she wanted to be, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, she couldn't do much more than let Rosetta hug her tightly and cry about how it must be her fault, which was a really uncomfortable situation for Vidia to handle. It wasn't just uncomfortable because Rosetta was clinging to her body in a way that could really get her hot and bothered if she thought about it too much, but also because she simply wasn't used to being the one other's clung to in any sort of situation. She was used to being the distant fairy, the socially inept. She had pushed others away all her life. But these girls were her friends now, and she was genuinely worried about Fawn.

Irridessa sighed loudly, and Silvermist picked her head up from its place on the bench where she'd been resting it. She rubbed her eyes and seemed to see the sort of awkward look on Vidia's face as the fast flyer patted Rosetta's back in the most soothing way she could muster. (Comforting was for smelly animal talents...But she pushed that thought away as quickly as it'd come up.) Sil got up and moved over to Rosetta, taking over and drawing the garden talent into her arms.

"Shh. It isn't your fault at all, Rosie. When things get hard, it's easy to start throwing blames all over the place. But this is no one's fault, okay?"

Rosetta sniffed, but in the most ladylike way possible, and dabbed at her cheeks with an expensive petal handkerchief. She nodded, and went on to say that Silvermist was right and that she is just so scared.

Vidia observed them, picking at the feather at the hem of her shirt. She considered these girls her friends because of the consoling and, well, friendly way they'd treated her. And that's all it took for them to accept her; to see she _did_ have weakness and that she _did_ have feelings. The only other people who had done that were Clank and Bobble, no more than a couple of hours before. Did that make them her friends too?

No. Absolutely not. Those two greasy _freaks _were not her friends! If they were before, they definetely were not now. They tried to tell her what they felt between each other was normal. They tried to say _she_ was normal! And Vidia knew for a fact that she was not normal. She had been too busy thinking about Rosetta's boobs to properly console her, for crying out loud! Silvermist on the other hand, who had a surprisingly dry and airy head for a water fairy, was able to calm Rosetta better in a couple of seconds than Vidia could in a least five minutes. She felt a pain somewhere in her chest, and she bowed her head.

They had been so accepting. They had shown that they didn't care if she was mean to them before if she was willing to be nice now. And she had been trying to be nice, but being distant and strong was the only way to keep her secret to herself. But what if… What if telling them about this secret would be similar to the last time she opened up to them? Instead of turning away from her in disgust, they might actually console her. They'd understand that she's scared and alone, and they'd promise to be there for her because they were friends. But this was different, wasn't it? This wasn't something they could understand. Being a nice person under a mask was something they could understand. Being some sort of sexually confused freak was not something they could relate to.

"Vid?"

Vidia looked up, suddenly broken from her deep thought to see Irridessa staring at her, her expression soft and not critical as it usually was.

"Did you hear the nurse? She said she has to talk to the queen, but she thinks Fawn's going to be okay."

"Really?" Vidia was able to smile weakly, and sincerely reply, "That's great."

"Are you…okay? I know this is rough, but you look sort of sick."

"I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Well, you always have us, sugar." Rosetta said, taking her hand. Vidia let out a sigh and smiled a bit stronger. She had time to work things out, and right now, she was going to stick with her friends.

* * *

"Your majesty," the head of the nurse talents, Fairy Carey bowed as she entered Clarion's presence, then stood and acknowledged the minister. "Thank you for your patience. We've discovered that the cause of Fawn's fainting wasn't from a human disbelieving in fairies- it was malnourishment."

"Malnourishment? You mean she wasn't eating?"

Carey nodded.

"Yes, it's absolutely the case. We believe it was in an effort to lose weight. Rarely, a young fairy will develop what we call an eating disorder, and essentially starve themselves to thinness."

"That's awful!" The queen gasped.

"It is. Luckily, we have her in our care now and she should be fine after plenty of rest and nourishment. She'll just have to have plenty of healthy meals."

"Oh thank heavens. We were so worried about disbelief becoming real. It hasn't happened in so long, not since the fairies moved to the safety of the Hollow so long ago… But it isn't the case. We'll just have to find some way to keep these eating disorders from occurring now. Thank you again, Carey."

"Of course, your highness." Carey bowed, and exited the room quickly, getting back to her work and leaving Clarion to sink into her chair once more and Tinker Bell to fly off to see her friends as quickly as possible.

* * *

Rosetta felt great. There was still a tiny smidge of guilt left in her over the way she made Fawn feel like she had to be someone she wasn't just to get a boys attention. But she'd apologized to her friend and Fawn assured her it had nothing to do with Rosetta and everything to do with her being stupid over some guy she hardly liked. Still, Rosetta scolded herself. There she was, trying to get Fawn a date to the dance when her own love interest was much older and so much more mature than the silly little crushes her friends were having.

Her sparrowman really was a man, and he had invited her to his house after hours. Garden Talent fairies, while they still had a section of the Hollow devoted to them and a leader (Fairy Perry), they were granted much more freedom. After all, they were possibly the most numerous of all the talents, and it was hard to keep track of all of them at once, so sneaking off wasn't a problem.

She knocked quietly on the door to his home, and the door was opened almost immediately. Clement grabbed her hand and pulled her in, shutting the door as quickly as he had opened it.

"My dear!" He smiled, kissing her hand and showing her into his living space. "I'm so glad you could come tonight. I think we really need this time alone."

"Oh yes." Rosetta did her best to straighten her posture and look especially grown up tonight. "Well, I agree. I missed you while we were apart."

He smiled at her fondly, admiring her and nodding.

"I missed you too." They said nothing for a moment, until he realized this was her first time in his home and he shouldn't be such a rude host. "Would you like some tea? Let's sit and talk for a little bit. You can follow me."

"Oh sure, honeydew. That sounds great."

She followed him into a dining room and took a seat at the table as he poured the tea. She sat up straight and drank in her usual prim but adorable fashion, something Clement couldn't resist smiling over as he drank his own tea. They talked about this and that for awhile, and things seemed to progress somehow into the two of them kissing gently on Clement's large, soft bed.

And this was where Winterlynn knew she would have to interrupt. Over the initial shock of having an unfaithful partner cheating on her with a younger fairy, the Minister of Winter wasn't going to let an innocent girl get hurt when she could stop it. After all, none of this was Rosetta's fault- it was Clement's and Clement's alone.

Tucked up in the branches of the most honored tree in Pixie Hollow spying on her soon-to-be-if-not-already-ex-boyfriend was not where Winterlynn wanted to be. She wanted to be in a cold bath, soaking out her troubles and caring about herself for once. But she promised herself this one good deed would earn her a whole day of soaking in ice cold water, and that made her feel a little better about her current position.

"Mmm…oh Clement."

Winterlynn watched as Rosetta opened her eyes and smiled gently at the minister hovering above her. Wint was just starting to get ready to make her presence known when Clement stood up, and backed away. Perplexed, she squinted and watched as the autumn fairy began to shake his head.

"No…Rosetta. I've made a mistake."

"What?!" Winterlynn and Rosetta had the same thought, though the former really hoped she kept her thought inside her head so that no one could have heard her.

"I mean, you are such a beautiful girl. Beautiful, intelligent, and with manners that far surpass anyone in this Hollow. I mean it. But you are a just a girl, Rosetta. And I can't believe I let myself forget that."

Rosetta sat up now, looking hurt and rejected.

"I…I am not just a girl. I'm a woman." Even Winterlynn could hear the pain in her tone. "I am mature. I am…developed."

Clement sighed.

"Yes. Yes, I know. But Rosetta, this is wrong. And it isn't you, trust me! It isn't. It's me. I was the adult in this situation, and I should have never let it get to this point."

Rosetta seemed to go into a bit of a panic.

"Clement! What about us? What about everything you and I have shared?"

"What, Rosetta? This secret romance was kept a secret because I knew it was wrong. I got a sort of thrill from it. But now I can really see _why_ this is wrong. You are too young for this. And I am a terrible person for doing this to you. I gave up something real. Something I may not be able to get back. And I don't want you to go through that too."

Rosetta had nothing coherent to say. She was in tears at this point, trying so hard to keep her composure and failing in every way.

"Rosetta, I think it's time for you to go home now."

"And I'll be the one to take you there, dear." Winterlynn stood in the doorway to the bedroom as she spoke, and then silently floated over to where Rosetta sat in tears.

"W-Winterlynn. I…"

"Not now," she interrupted sternly. "Maybe you and I can talk some other time. Later. Much later. But not now. Alright?"

She turned her attention to the young garden talent who had turned into a blubbering mess. She took the girl by the shoulder and gently led her out and home. On the way there, Winterlynn let out a deep breath she didn't realize she'd had in her until she was far away from Clement.

"Forget about him," she said aloud, to both herself and Rosetta. She rubbed Rose's shoulder comfortingly. "It's better this way. I promise."

* * *

Tinker Bell hadn't brought up the fact that disbelief was real. She knew it now for a fact, seeing as it came straight from Queen Clarion's mouth. But there was a side of her that thought harboring the secret might be a good thing for now. After all, it was a very scary thing to think about. With Fawn recovering and disbelief still an ancient thing (though, no longer a myth), there didn't seem to be any reason to touch the subject for now. Besides, Tinker Bell was preoccupied with something more important.

Namely, Terrence.

Terrence hadn't even shown up to the dance. She'd looked for him, and had given up on thinking about him as soon as Fawn had been whisked away to be helped. But now, confrontation was way past due.

In the workshop, she glanced anxiously at the clock every so often, and Bobble had taken notice. She'd give a frustrated sigh and continue working, only to give up and check the time again in a minute or so.

"Er, Tink?" Bobble began gently.

She responded with a quick 'hm?' while her eyes never left the clock.

"What exactly are you waiting for?"

"To wait for the stupid clock to tell me that it's lunch time so I can ask Terence why he's being such a jerk!"

"Oh!" Bobble remembered suddenly about Vidia's scheme that he'd been forced to put Tink and her boyfriend through, and felt very awful for not telling her about it sooner. He looked at Clank, who had cotton stuffed in his ears and seemed to be dancing to a song inside of his own head as he busily worked. Bobble turned his focus to Tinker Bell and moved over to her table to explain.

"Tink, you have got it all wrong! Terence hasn't done a thing wrong. At least, I don't think so."

She regarded him with a curious look.

"What do you mean?"

"It was all Miss Vidia. She was blackmailing Clank and I into destroying your relationship with Terence. I'm so so so sorry!"

"What?! Why would Vidia do something like that? We're friends!"

"Because-," Bobble stopped himself suddenly, looking at the impatient tinker in front of him waiting for an answer. He knew the reason Vidia had set them up to this, but that was not something he could just share with Tinker Bell. When Vidia was ready- if she ever was ready- to share how she felt, she could. Bobble shook his head.

"I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me?! What are you talking about? Of course you can tell me! You have to tell me! I seriously thought Vidia and I had passed all of this! But she's still the same jerk. AUGH!"

"Now, Tink, calm down. It's just… I don't really know the reason. So I think you should talk to Miss Vidia about it. Alright?"

He looked at her sheepishly, hoping she'd take that as a reasonable answer. Luckily for Bobble, she did. The redness in her face faded slowly and she sighed, replying confidently.

"Fine. But first, I'm going to see my boyfriend."

* * *

**~~~To Be Continued...**


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